WESTON, Mass. – Behind New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) Tournament MVP Sabree Rodriguez's (Brockton, Mass.) double-double of 16 points and 12 rebounds, the Regis College women's basketball team defeated Elms College, 59-33 on Saturday afternoon to claim the 2013 NECC Championship. With the win, the Pride improve to 23-4 and receive the conference's automatic qualifying bid for the NCAA Tournament, with brackets being announced on Monday afternoon at 2:30 p.m. Elms falls to 17-11 on the season and will await a possible at-large bid for a postseason tournament.
Regis wasted little time at the start of the game, jumping out to a quick 8-2 lead. But back-to-back points by All-Tournament team member Denisha Parks (Fall River, Mass.) cut the lead to two with 14:45 remaining in the opening half. The Pride responded with an impressive 19-4 run down the stretch to take a commanding 27-10 lead with just over two minutes left.
The run was led by a balanced attack, with five different players recording points down the stretch, including seven from Emilee Marro (Bedford, N.H.) and four each from Monet Lowe (Framingham, Mass.) and Rodriguez. Marro ended the half with a team-high 10 points to lead all scorers. Elms closed out the half with a 4-0 run of their own, making the game 27-14 at halftime.
A three-pointer by Ellen Donahue (Southington, Conn.) and a jumper by Parks cut the deficit to 29-19 at the start of the second half. Regis responded by going on a 19-6 run over the span over the next ten minutes of the half to take a 48-25 lead at the 6:56 mark. That run was highlighted by Rodriguez, who scored seven of her twelve points of the half during that stretch, and Lauren Kimble (Concord, Calif.), who knocked down two huge back-to-back treys for the Pride.
Parks and Jen Normandie (Westford, Mass.) would combine for Elms' next eight points, but they were not able t
o pull off the comeback, as Regis held on for the 59-33 victory.
Marro was instrumental in the win for the Pride, who finished just shy of a triple-double with ten points, nine rebounds, and nine assists. The sophomore guard was rewarded for her efforts by being named to the All-Tournament team with Parks, Rodriguez, JC Pickett (Chicopee, Mass.), as well as Becker College's Haley Ooms (Valatie, N.Y.) and Daniel Webster College's Vanessa Bosques (Windham, Conn.).
Lowe finished with nine points, 12 rebounds, and two steals for Regis, while Claire Ramonas (Portland, Maine) also chipped in with seven points, five rebounds, two assists, and two steals.
Parks registered a double-double in the losing effort with 12 points and 12 rebounds to lead Elms. Pickett finished the game with four points, four rebounds, two blocks, two steals, and one assist.